December 22, 2005

Stranded deer rescued; dies later

       A white-tailed deer was stranded on a White River Township pond overnight before firemen were able to pull the animal off the ice. It later died.  Dave Sturm, who owns a home by the pond on Circle T Drive, south of Smokey Row Road and west of Morgantown Road, saw the animal struggling on the ice Tuesday.  The deer fell down on top of the ice and wasn’t able to get back up, he said.  Sturm tried to get in touch with area fire departments, the Department of Natural Resources, Johnson County Animal Control and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, but wasn’t able to find people who would be able to help the deer until Wednesday morning.

         Two White River Township firefighters dressed in ice rescue suits came to get the deer off the ice. One crept out on the ice to wrap a rope around the animal while the other waited as backup, White River Township spokesman Jim Engmark said.  The firefighters had a ladder on the ice and a boat by the pond in case the ice cracked or broke through. Bargersville firefighters were also at the scene.  Sturm said he would have tried to move the animal himself, but he wasn’t sure about the thickness of the ice or how to deal with the wild animal.  The deer didn’t struggle as the firemen pulled him to the bank, where he was put into a rescue basket and put into a Johnson County Animal Control van, Engmark said.  “The deer was pretty much worn out,” Engmark said.  The deer was extremely thin, tired and had possible infected wounds where its rack had been shed or damaged, according to a report from Johnson County Animal Control.  The deer died while it was being examined by a wildlife specialist at Hillview Veterinary Clinic. The specialist said the infection from the deer’s wounds may have made its way to the animal’s brain.  (Reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal).
 
 

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